Abstract

This thesis examines and analyzes the implications of Quebec’s Bill 96, An Act respecting French,
the official and common language of Quebec, for minority-language higher education institutions,
with a specific focus on Dawson College, the largest English-language CEGEP in Quebec. Bill 96
(2022) amends the Charter of the French Language and imposes new obligations regarding
admission, instruction and graduation requirements, as well as display, communications and
translation practices. These obligations have a significant impact on anglophone institutions, which
must adapt to stricter rules governing internal and external communications, translation, and
overall, the use of French as a common language in all spheres of public life.
Drawing on perspectives from language policy and translation studies, this thesis situates
translation not only as a language transfer activity but as a form of policy implementation that
regulates access to public services and education. It employs a qualitative case study approach,
relying on interviews with key employees of Dawson College’s communications and
administrative departments to explore how their work dynamics, mainly in regard to
communication and translation activities, have evolved in response to the new legislation.
The findings support the idea that translation is essential to institutional compliance with Bill 96
(now Law 14) and that it plays a major role in mediating between policy requirements, institutional
functioning, and inclusivity for the needs of students and staff. More broadly, the thesis shows how
translation policies are part of institutional practices shaped by legal frameworks, ideological
pressures, and time and resource constraints.